I tried a fantasy novel for an online book club I enjoy, but forty minutes into it I had to stop. No joy there. So since I'm finished with C.B. James' TBR Reading Dare, I went ahead and loaded up a new audiobook I got from my public library right before I left. Let's Pretend This Never Happened is from Jenny Lawson. She's a famous blogger and twitterer known as The Blogess and is funny as hell.
The book doesn't hold up as well as, say, a David Sedaris collection. She's just as personally funny, but still growing as a writer. Since she reads the audiobook, though, it has great immediacy and made for a fun drive. This lady has ALL KINDS of crazy stories to tell and has her own way of telling them.
First there are the tales from her West Texas rural upbringing with her, um, colorful taxidermist father. What a horror show that guy was. Then there were the awkward teenage years. And unless you found yourself helping to impregnate a cow in front of a whole group of the opposite sex (for a class you didn't even take!) then you have no serious awkward competition.
Eventually she meets and marries her "long-suffering husband Victor" who hails from the much more proper Midland Texas. To get an idea of how far apart their upbringings are, picture if you will Jenny meeting her future Mother-in-law for the first time and said mother showing off a scrapbook of Victor that includes him in a tux standing next to various debutantes. She politely asks Jenny, "When did you come out?" "Out?" asks Jenny. "But I'm not gay. I'm dating your son!"
You won't enjoy this book if you are uptight about learning new vocabulary. All the classics are included, of course, but he things she does with the word "douche" are a marvel. Actually, you won't like this book if you're uptight about pretty much anything.
The tales never rise above the level of anecdote, but they are some great anecdotes. One thing she has accomplished, however, is helping people with their perception of mental illness. If you read this or follow her blog or Twitter, then you'll find out she is open about some of her disabilities including OCD, depression, and an unfortunate version of arthritis along with a handful of phobias. Victor is apparently OCD as well but of course their OCDs don't always match up, particularly when it comes to housecleaning. There are some scream-out-loud funny bits about their differing views on this part of married life.
So yeah, fun book. If you are in the mood for funny and you don't mind someone who is an Olympics-level potty mouth, then you will enjoy this. Oh, but there are also sad parts. Just a few, but just so you know.
Now, back to Westeros for me!
